South of Lake Garda the mountains step back and the land turns into a theatre of hills. Those are the moraines, left by the glacier that once filled the valley and dropped its load of gravel in a series of curved ridges as it melted. The belvedere on this stretch is part of that gentle amphitheatre, a viewpoint over vineyards and fields on the way between Peschiera del Garda and the old battlefields at San Martino and Solferino, and in clear weather you can see the Alps rising behind the lake.
The country is wine country. Bardolino, Custoza and Lugana grow here, the last a fresh white from the south shore that suits the lake's fish, and the roads between the villages pass farms, cypress rows and country restaurants. Peschiera itself is a fortified town built by the Venetian Republic on an island in the Mincio, its walls part of the Venetian Works of Defence inscribed by UNESCO in 2017. In 1859 the nearby hills saw some of the bloodiest fighting of the Second War of Italian Independence, and the tall memorial tower at San Martino stands as a reminder.
The riding is easy and attractive, if not dramatic. The roads are narrow and winding in the hills, with blind bends, tractor traffic and many cyclists, and the surface can be patchy. Traffic on the lakeshore roads and the roads to Peschiera is heavy on summer weekends, and you will do better to explore the moraine country in the morning. Spring brings blossoms and fresh green, while September has the grape harvest and golden light.
Fuel is easy in Peschiera del Garda, a town of nearly eight thousand with several pumps near the main roads, and the lakeside towns offer more. For a break, stop at a small trattoria for tortellini di Valeggio, the local pasta stuffed with meat or cheese and served in butter and sage.
The ride list continues to Vicenza and Palladio's Villa Almerico Capra, known as La Rotonda, a square house with four porticoes that makes a fitting finish.